Re: [TANGO-L] Follower's axis, contribution to the dance (was 1 foot, 12 inch...)

[Petra Starmans <petra.starmans @befree.ch>]

Dear Astrid


in between work I read your answer to a mail of Dan I did not read well myself. 
Nevertheless, risking saying something which was already said, I would like to add my experience with Pilates body training to this aspect.

>I have yet to meet the man who leads with his belly button. I wonder what
>would happen if I followed the movement of his belly button instead of the
>turning of his chest when he initiates a giro.Fact is, while the chest is
>moving into the giro,the belly button is still facing the same direction his
>hips are.

In Pilates there is an exercise which involves standing facing forward with the hips and rotating the upper torso, alternating to the right and to the left. Turning to the right, you take the stretched right arm (and shoulder part) with you (horizontal plane), turning to the left the stretched left arm. In both situations the upper torso moves, in fact as if initiating a giro.

Unpractised, one tends to initiate this turn movement by a pull of the most exterior part (hand, upper arm, or shoulder). After practising more one is taught the possibility of initiating the exact same movement from the body centre. The result is, that the body centre will stay in front more than when you initiate with arms or shoulders and the transfer of motion is more controllable. 
For me the initiation in the body centre does not mean 'moving the centre in the direction of the overall movement'. In fact it is more the centering, stabilizing in the centre before stretching the muscles that make the upper torso move. In this case you will much less pull your partenaire out of balance by the force of the turn movement or by a unwanted variation in your own balance.

The question is only, if the follower can sense that very first part of the whole giro or will notice only the movement resulting after the centering.. my guess is, a follower can sense it but maybe not really read it.

Petra
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Petra Starmans
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